Testing Permission Sets in Salesforce

Permission sets in Salesforce are a powerful tool for granting users access to specific objects, fields, and functionality without modifying their profiles. However, testing permission sets is crucial to ensure they are working as intended and not causing any unintended consequences. Let’s discuss when and how to test permission sets, as well as some advanced techniques for more thorough testing.

1. Testing Permission Sets When Creating a New One

Testing permission sets is crucial for maintaining a secure and efficient system. When creating a new permission set, it’s important to ensure that it grants the intended access and does not conflict with existing permissions. Begin by clearly defining the access requirements for the new set. Assign the new permission set to a test user to verify they can access all intended resources and functionalities. Additionally, ensure the new permission set doesn’t inadvertently grant or restrict access that overlaps or conflicts with other permissions.

2. Testing Permission Sets When Modifying an Existing One

When modifying an existing permission set, testing helps confirm that the changes achieve the desired outcomes without unintended side effects. Document the specific changes made to the permission set and assign it to a test user to check if the modifications are reflected correctly. It’s also important to ensure that previously available functionalities remain accessible and that no new conflicts have been introduced.

3. Testing Permission Sets Before Deployment to Production

Before deploying permission sets to production, always validate changes in a sandbox environment to safeguard the production setup. Use a sandbox that mirrors the production environment to conduct comprehensive testing scenarios, including edge cases and stress tests. User acceptance testing (UAT) should be conducted to ensure that the permission set meets practical needs and expectations of end-users.

4. Testing Permission Sets When Assigning or Removing Them from Users

When assigning or removing permission sets from users, it’s essential to verify that the correct permissions are granted or revoked and that users can perform their duties without interruptions. Conduct an impact analysis to evaluate which users and processes will be affected. Gradually roll out the changes to a small group of users before a full deployment and collect feedback to identify any issues or gaps in access.

How to Test Permission Sets

To test permission sets, follow these steps:

Create a test user: Create a user with a profile that does not have the permissions you want to test. This ensures that any access the user has is solely due to the permission set.
Assign the permission set to the test user: Assign the permission set you want to test to the test user.
Log in as the test user: Log in to Salesforce as the test user and verify that the user can access the intended objects, fields, and functionality.
Test-specific scenarios: Test-specific scenarios that are relevant to the permission set, such as creating, reading, updating, and deleting records, accessing specific fields, or using specific functionality.
Verify the results: Verify that the test user can perform the intended actions and that there are no unexpected results or errors.

Advanced Testing Techniques

Here are some advanced techniques for more thorough testing of permission sets:

Use a test data factory: Create a test data factory that generates test data for the objects and fields you want to test. This allows you to test permission sets with a larger volume of data and more complex scenarios.
Automate testing: Use tools like Selenium or Apex testing frameworks to automate the testing process. This ensures that tests are run consistently and reduces the risk of human error.
Test with different user profiles: Test the permission set with users who have different profiles to ensure that the permissions work as expected regardless of the user’s base profile.
Test with different license types: If the permission set is assigned to users with different license types, test it with each license type to ensure that the permissions work as expected.
Test with different locales and languages: If your organization has users in different locales and languages, test the permission set with different locales and languages to ensure that the permissions work as expected.

By following these best practices for testing permission sets, you can ensure that your users have the appropriate access to objects, fields, and functionality and that your Salesforce org remains secure and efficient.